You're Supposed to Protect Him
by elsiecarson
Summary: AU! Scorpius Malfoy has been staying with his grandfather, Lucius, while his parents are on vacation. When his grandfather treats him badly he shows up on Severus Snape's doorstep. Severus is in a relationship with Remus Lupin.
1. Unexpected Arrival

Severus is surprised when Scorpius Malfoy shows up on his the doorstep of the house Severus shares with his lover, Remus Lupin. Scorpius' face is tear stained. "Scorpius, what's wrong?" Severus wants the little boy to be happy, especially since Scorpius' father is Severus' godson.

"Mummy and daddy are on vacation and they took me to stay with grandpa." Scorpius tells his Uncle Severus. Scorpius is only six and Severus inwardly cringes. He knows how cruel Lucius Malfoy can be. As Severus watches the little boy tears start streaming down Scorpius' face again. Severus kneels down in front of Scorpius. "He hit me, Uncle Severus!" Scorpius says tearfully.

Severus reaches out slowly to the little boy and gently pulls him into his arms. He can see Scorpius wince as he touches the young boy. Severus holds Scorpius' hand and leads him over to a chair. Severus sits down and sits Scorpius on his knee. "What happened Scorpius?" Severus asks gently.

Remus walks into the room and sits on the arm of the chair Severus is sitting in. He can tell from the atmosphere in the room that this is a very serious conversation. He loves seeing Severus being this sweet with Scorpius.

"I always have trouble remembering which rooms grandpa doesn't want me to go into. I try and write them all down, but I missed one and I ended up in that room today. Grandpa Lucius caught me. He was really angry. He turned me over his knee and spanked me. He paddled me really hard." Scorpius turns his head into Uncle Severus' chest.

Severus hugs Scorpius tight to his chest. Severus can feel tears stinging his eyes. He just wants Scorpius to be safe. He always wondered whether Draco was as safe as he should have been when he was young. Severus wants to protect Scorpius.

Remus knows that Severus is very emotional right now. He puts his arm around Severus' shoulders and kisses the top of Severus' head. Severus looks up at Remus with tears shining in his eyes. He thought Scorpius would have a blissful, happy childhood and now that belief has been shattered.


	2. Can I Stay Here?

Scorpius sniffles as he stops crying. "Uncle Severus, can I stay with you and Uncle Remus until Mummy and Daddy come home?"

"Of course you can stay with us. I'll make sure that I write to your father and let him know where you are and what happened. I'll also go and collect your things from your grandfather's. You don't have to go back to his house ever again if you don't want to." Severus says gently. He takes his handkerchief from an inside pocket and wipes away the tears of the little boy. "Can you find me some parchment, Remus? I'll write to Draco right now."

"Of course, I'll do that right now. Can I get you a hot chocolate or a glass of lemonade, Scorpius, while I'm up?" Remus asks gently.

"I'll have a lemonade, please, Uncle Remus." Scorpius sniffs.

"Okay sweetheart." Remus ruffles Scorpius' platinum hair. Scorpius looks so much like his father. Remus goes into the kitchen to get a glass of lemonade for Scorpius.

Severus cuddles Scorpius in his arms. The little boy puts his arms around Severus' waist and leans his head on Severus' chest.

Remus comes back into the room carrying a glass of lemonade and a sheaf of parchment. "There you are Scorpius. Don't worry about anything now."

Severus sets Scorpius down in the chair as he stands up. Scorpius curls up in the chair. Severus sits down at the desk by the window to write to Draco. Remus sits on the arm of Scorpius' chair to watch over the little boy. Severus quickly writes the letter and whistles for the owl that he and Remus keep. The elegant bird flies in the open window in the kitchen to Severus. Severus turns to Scorpius and says, "Do you know where your parents are Scorpius?"

"They're in Italy, Uncle Severus. Venice, I think daddy said." Scorpius says thinking carefully.

Severus scrawls the country on the envelope and attaches the letter to the owl's leg. "Will you be alright here with Uncle Remus while I go to you grandpa's?"

"Yes, I'll be okay, Uncle Severus. Thank you for taking me in." Scorpius says politely.

Severus walks over to where Scorpius is sitting and scoops him up in his arms. "You are welcome here anytime. I care about you, so I want you to be safe and happy." Severus gestures to Remus to meet him in the other room so they can talk privately. "I'll be back soon. You be good for Uncle Remus."


	3. Are You Okay?

Remus follows Severus into the kitchen and says, "Are you okay? You got pretty emotional out there."

"I'm okay. Lucius may end up in pieces, but I'm okay as long as Scorpius is okay. Keep a close eye on him. He's trying to be brave right now." Severus says seriously.

Remus brushes Severus' hair back from his face and leans in and kisses him softly. "I'll look after him as if he were my own. It will be good actually because Teddy is coming for his month long visit tomorrow. That way Scorpius won't be by himself."

"That will be good for him. I'll be back soon, I promise. I'll try to keep my temper in check." Severus says seriously.

"Sock it to him. Lose your temper on him if you want. Do you think Scorpius has more injuries than he's telling us?" Remus asks quietly.

"If I know Lucius there're more injuries. Let him tell you on his own terms. Don't push him too early. He's going to need time and space. I'll see you later." Severus kisses Remus' cheek and disapparates.


	4. How About a Cookie?

"Scorpius, do you want a biscuit? Uncle Severus and I made chocolate chip and macadamia nut cookies yesterday." Remus calls as he walks back into the room Scorpius is sitting in.

"Yeah, a biscuit! Uncle Severus makes the best biscuits!" Scorpius hops up from the chair, grabs Remus' hand, and drags him into the kitchen.

Remus is glad he can take Scorpius' mind off the ordeal he's been through. Remus pours Scorpius a glass of milk and passes him a giant biscuit. He watches Scorpius climb up onto a stool in the kitchen.


	5. Confronting Lucius

Severus apparates to just outside the boundary of Malfoy Manor and glares up at the building. He walks up the front walk swiftly. His anger is bubbling just beneath the surface. He pounds on the front door when he reaches it. Lucius himself opens the door. "Severus, it's nice to see you, but I am quite busy." Lucius says calmly as he tries to shut the door.

"No, you're not getting away with not talking to me. I know what you did to your grandson today and you're not getting away with it!" Severus pushes Lucius into the manor.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lucius stammers.

"Really Lucius? Your grandson showed up on my doorstep in tears. Scorpius told me the truth. You are despicable! How dare you beat your grandson! He trusted you and you betrayed him! I wrote to your son to let him know what you did. I shouldn't be surprised though. You hit your own son. Scorpius will be staying with me. He will be safe. I could kill you right now I'm so angry with you. Scorpius loves you despite all of this." Severus yells at Lucius.

Lucius trembles at the fiery anger that Severus is displaying. He sinks down to sit on the stairs. He is shaking. "I don't know what happened. I just lost it. Scorpius wasn't being defiant or rude, but he was somewhere that I didn't want him to be. There are relics in this house I don't want him to find. I don't want him to know about my past, at least not yet. He's still a little boy."

"But you have a history of snapping like this. It can't continue. I don't want Scorpius to be scared of you. If you don't want him to find certain things get rid of them. You are going to have to tell him about your past before he goes to Hogwarts or he'll be blindsided by it. I envy you, you know. I was cuddling Scorpius on my lap trying to get him to calm down and I realized what a wonderful young boy he is. I have Teddy, but he hates me because he thinks I broke his parents up and he's sixteen so he doesn't listen anyway. Scorpius is just a sweet, loving little boy." Severus says seriously.

"I don't deserve any of it. I don't deserve a happy family. I've done everything to try and destroy my family. I can't believe that I couldn't just be happy with what I had. I'm surprised Draco doesn't hate me. I couldn't just let him be a regular little boy. He had to be special." Lucius sighs heavily.

Severus sighs heavily. "No, you probably don't deserve to be happy, but when it comes down to it I probably don't deserve what I've got either. Just look at what we've both made of our lives despite rough starts. When I wake up every morning I'm reminded of how very lucky I am. Remus never has to remind me of all the good things I have. I even include my stepson in that list of good things. He's a pain, but I care about him nonetheless. We should both be more than pleased with where our lives have ended up since we should both be dead. You have to try and make it up to Scorpius. I would hate for you to miss out on your grandson's life because of this, but you have to change. I just came to pick up some things for Scorpius."

"I went upstairs to look for him after and when I didn't find him I knew he'd left so I packed his bag for him. Come on, I'll take you up. Remember, he doesn't like to sleep in a pitch black room. He can't sleep with the door closed or without his teddy. He likes showers better than baths and he likes the scent of bergamot for some reason. He likes cocoa, not tea. He likes whipped cream on his cocoa, not marshmallows." Lucius' voice is thick with emotion.

"I know all that Lucius. Scorpius will be just fine with Remus and I for a couple of weeks. I'll try and get Scorpius to talk to you and smooth this over if I can. You need to change your ways. I'll make sure that Scorpius is just fine and Teddy is coming for a visit so Scorpius will have someone closer to his own age to be with rather than just us old men." Severus reassures Lucius.

"I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather have looking after Scorpius than you. You should get back to Remus and Scorpius. I suspect that Scorpius will need your support and he'll be wanting some of the things from his case." Lucius says kindly.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts and your Firewhisky." Severus pats Lucius' back and picks up Scorpius' trunk. Severus shrinks the trunk down and walks back down the stairs to the front foyer.

"The manor is lacking a bit of lustre since Narcissa died. She always gave this house a certain panache. I always knew she was too good for me." Lucius says sadly.

"Narcissa wouldn't want you to mope. She wouldn't want this solitariness to be your future. Think about that." Severus says firmly. He walks down the front walk and when he gets out the gates he disapparates.


	6. Warmth and Laughter

When Severus walks into the house he can hear laughter from the kitchen. Remus' warm, rich laughter dominates over Scorpius' light, young laughter. Severus smiles as he enters the warm kitchen. He loves happy memories like this. Remus looks particularly happy and at ease. "Are you enjoying the biscuits, Scorpius?" Severus asks as he walks up behind the boy.

"Oh yes, Uncle Severus! You and Uncle Remus did a wonderful job!" Scorpius hops down off his stool and hugs his uncle getting chocolate on the back of his robes.

Severus ruffles Scorpius' hair and hugs him gently. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"No, of course not, Uncle Severus." Scorpius says politely.

"I'll put tea on, shall I?" Remus asks as he sets a plate of biscuits down in front of Severus and Scorpius.

"Tea sounds absolutely wonderful. Thank you, Remus." Severus says wearily.

Remus walks over and puts his arm around Severus' shoulders and kisses Severus' temple. He walks over and puts the kettle on for tea for himself and Severus. He wants Severus to relax after a very difficult day. While Remus is waiting for the water to boil he stands behind Severus and massages his back. Severus leans his head back against Remus' chest. Remus always seems to know how to get Severus to relax. Remus moves to get the tea steeping when he hears the kettle whistle. The domesticity of the situation is so normal that Severus finally feels at ease.

When Severus looks down at Scorpius he has to smile. Scorpius has chocolate all around his mouth. Severus reaches out to grab a biscuit. "You shouldn't be the only one enjoying the biscuits." Severus teases Scorpius before he bites into the soft biscuit.

Scorpius smiles up at his uncle. The little boy loves spending time with his two uncles. He finds both his uncles to be very fun. "Uncle Remus, will Teddy be coming to stay while I'm here?"

"Actually, Teddy is coming to stay very soon. Tonks is dropping off Teddy here tomorrow, so you'll have someone closer to your age to hang out with. That way you won't have to spend all your time with Uncle Severus and I." Remus teases Scorpius and Severus.

"I like spending time with you and Uncle Severus." Scorpius protests to his uncles.

"I know that. Uncle Remus was just teasing you. We just know that you'll be happier with someone around who's closer to your own age. It's not a reflection on you at all." Severus reassures Scorpius. He takes his cup of tea from Remus and slowly sips the hot liquid.

"Oh okay," Scorpius happily accepts the explanation from his uncle.


	7. Relaxing

"I'm going to sit in the living room. Are you coming with me?" Remus whispers quietly.

Severus nods tiredly. He picks up his tea and follows Remus into the living room. "Come on Scorpius. Let's just relax and enjoy the rest of the day. We've both had a rough day." Remus sits down, Severus leans against Remus and Scorpius leans against Severus. When Remus looks down at Severus, Severus is smiling happily at Scorpius who seems to be falling asleep in Severus' arms.

Remus feels at ease with the whole situation and it's nice to see Severus' fatherly side. Severus runs his empty hand over Remus' chest and sips his tea. Remus sets his cup down when he finishes his tea.

Severus had an emotional day and he can feel the tiredness setting in. Remus can see the exhaustion written all over Severus' face. Remus can also see that Scorpius has fallen asleep in Severus' arms.

"Why don't you do the same and try and get some sleep?" Remus whispers in Severus' ear.

Severus groans and lets Remus pull him closer to Remus. Severus relaxes against Remus' chest. Severus slowly falls asleep against Remus and his nose smushes against Remus' chest. This causes Severus to snore lightly. Remus shifts Severus' face so his nose isn't crushed. Remus leans his head on top of Severus'. He also falls asleep happy in Severus' arms.


End file.
